It’s been a challenging season for Richard Childress Racing.
Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the most decorated racers of all-time, missed the playoffs for just the second time in his career and is mired in a 51-race winless streak.
Austin Dillon won the fall race at Richmond but was stripped of his playoff eligibility for how the race was won, wrecking both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final corner.
Richard Childress himself appeared on the Happy Hour show with his former driver Kevin Harvick to discuss the challenges.
“It’s been one of those years,” Childress said. “Crashes, we’ve been involved in so many crashes. I think Austin was involved in one in the first six races this year, so that put him so far behind.
“Kyle, he’s been involved in several crashes. I talked to him this morning, he said, ‘Maybe I should’ve been a little bit more patient,’ but you know, when you’ve got someone breathing down your back, you’re leading the race with 20, 25 to go, you just make the move that you think is right. I told him, ‘Man, don’t worry, we’re going to win some races.’ It’s been a tough year, but everybody has fought hard.”
Childress has since parted ways with competition director Andy Petree and the team is expected to make even more changes.
“We see that we’ve got to make some changes,” Childress said. “We’ve got more changes coming that you’re going to hear about in the next month, probably, and we’re excited about next year. You know, you can’t dwell on the past, you’ve got to learn from the past.
“History teaches you, and that’s what we’ll learn from this year, and take it into next year with a positive attitude.”